Max Verstappen is pleased to have confirmed his future at Red Bull, avoiding any “awkward” uncertainty during this coming season.
The Dutchman was expected to be a major catch in this year’s driver market, with many seeing 2020 as the Milton Keynes-based squad’s final chance to deliver before Max left, likely for Mercedes.
However, all that was soon squashed when Verstappen and Red Bull announced a new three-year deal until the end of 2023, early in the New Year.
“I always felt very comfortable in the team, and never really wanted to rush anything because there was no need,” he said via RACER.
“I think it all went very quickly, so for me last year I never really thought about it too much and then we sorted it over the wintertime.
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“I think it’s also a good thing because it takes away any doubts. There are no question marks anymore,” Verstappen added.
“When you go into a season when your contract is up at the end of the year, at one point it is going to maybe be a little bit awkward towards the next car a year after.
“So I didn’t want to have any of that.”
And with Red Bull, Verstappen and Honda building a strong relationship in their first season together in 2019, the 22-year-old is keen to build on that.
“For me, this is the right place,” he stated. “I feel really good in the team, there are a lot of good people in the team and I obviously see the motivation and hunger to fight for victories and a championship.”
Indeed, it is a first F1 title for Max and first for Red Bull since 2013 which is seen as the main target for both this season, and team boss Christian Horner believes the foundations are now there to do so.
“For the first time in probably five or six years we’ve got stability in the regulations and that gives us a real opportunity to take the fight to our rivals,” Horner told Verstappen’s official website Verstappen.nl.
“The lessons we learned last year have been carried over from RB15 to RB16.
“We also have stability in the team and that, alongside the momentum we built over the second half of last year, means we’re in a very good place to mount a strong challenge this year.”